Because your mind is freed from all external distractions during floating it can absorb new information quickly and on a very deep level. The learning process is accelerated by the theta state and by increased access to the efficient, large-scale learning abilities of the right hemisphere.

Studies have shown that babies and infants spend most of their time in theta. With the passage of years this gradually gives way to the alpha frequencies (between 8 to 12 Hz). By the age of ten or eleven the normal adult pattern of beta (13 to 30 Hz) is dominant and we stay in that state of consciousness for the rest of our lives. In the theta state your learning abilities are at their highest - look how quickly and effortlessly babies learn - and powers of visualisation and auto-suggestion are dramatically increased. In the tank you regain these latent abilities and can put them to use.

To fully exploit this mental potential, the modern float tank is equipped with powerful underwater speakers and often with in-tank video facilities. Any skill or information can be learnt more effectively and efficiently in this way while the floater is in a deep state of relaxation. Sophisticated audio or video based programs (such as SyberVision) can be used to guide the floater to peak performance in anything from language skills to golf swings. Learning was never easier or more fun.

The subtle mental and physical effects of floating greatly improve your powers of emotional control and sense of well-being. Negative emotions and unwanted habits seem to melt away in the tank along with the physical tensions and stresses that accompany them. Smoking, alcohol dependence and weight control problems can be easily and effectively overcome or lessened - sometimes totally spontaneously. Research suggests that compulsive behaviour patterns such as these are linked to a low endorphin level in the body.

In fact, according to experts at America's NIMH, the float tank "is the only technique ever shown by controlled studies to be effective over extended periods of time". Studies show success rates of 81% in eliminating or sharply reducing smoking, 61% in reducing alcohol consumption, with similarly impressive results in combating weight control problems. In the deep theta state you have increased access to and control over subconscious mental processes. You become master of your own mind.